The Daily Iowan WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
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THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IOWA COMMUNITY SINCE 1868
Students are unhappy with the announcement that parking on campus will require payment 24/7. katie-mccarver@uiowa.edu
Planet 3 Extreme Air Park — Iowa City’s first trampoline park — officially opened on Dec. 8 at the location that was formerly Kmart on Highway 6. The outlet is the eighth Planet 3 location in the U.S.
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UI students irked by new parking policy BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER
Indoor trampoline park comes to Iowa City
DAILYIOWAN.COM
A new parking policy at the University of Iowa will require constant payment in parking lots, angering some UI students. Four years ago, UI Parking & Transportation embarked on an initiative to universalize the operational systems of parking lots across campus, mandating that gates would require payment via machine and remain closed 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. After several technical road bumps, the IMU, Main Library, and many other campus parking lots will officially be converted to this system, a change that raises the ire of a subset of students who rely on the gates lifting after midnight without requiring payment. “We thought we should put up signs for the number of students, and those are what got a lot of attention,” Parking & Transportation Administration Services Director Jim Sayre said. “We’ve
met with UISG trying to resolve concerns; we don’t know where we’re going to land this point.” Sayre said original discussions for the change occurred among Parking & Transportation staff and its charter committee, which included student representatives. “We were comfortable after having vetted the potential changes,” Sayre said. “But of course, it’s taken four years to get here, so we’ve had a turnover in students and new leadership in
UISG.” He admitted that student concern about losing access to student activities or late-night study sessions because of an inability to park is a huge concern, and as an institution, the UI wants to engage students. Nevertheless, Sayre emphasized that physical access to the aforementioned parking lots will still be available to students. If they choose not to park SEE PARKING, 2
Harreld talks lack of state funding UI President Bruce Harreld spoke with The Daily Iowan on Dec. 7 about dwindling state funding for Iowa’s universities and discussed the regents’ multiyear tuition model. BY DI STAFF
for the next several years, families and students can plan that it won’t go any higher than that. And I’ll just remind everyone that our current tuition, in-state tuition is about $3,500 to $4,000 lower than our peer group. So, I mean we’re already a really, really good deal. That 3 to 5 percent won’t even get us to the average in five years, because I don’t think our competitive institutions, our peer institutions, are going to keep their tuitions flat. Because there’s still inflation. So when you add all that up, you’ve got a statement from our Board of Regents for the first time that has some lower and upper boundaries and also says timing, wait until the January time period, and you’ll see tuition come through. I think all that’s great for students as opposed to a knee-jerk surprise in September and another surprise in April. So, that was my logic for saying that. And I genuinely believe that. And I applaud the regents for thinking holistically, systemically about this problem.
daily-iowan@uiowa.edu
UIHC practices hazardous-disease response
A UIHC drill tested its ability to respond to a biohazard emergency by unloading and transferring a bio-infected “patient” from the airport to the emergency room.
UI Family Services offers childcare for finals week
The UI contracted with a daycare center to offer student parents free childcare during finals week to allow them to prepare for exams. Go to dailyiowan.com to see the full story.
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Grading Hawkeye football’s backs and backers
Daily Iowan Pregame Editor Adam Hensley grades Iowa’s running backs, who took a bit of time to find their groove, and Sports Editor Pete Ruden takes a look at a linebacker corps that had some big shoes to fill.
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DI: Last month, we finally got a look at the regents’ multiyear tuition model, and you told the DI after the meeting that you think it’s better for students because of its predictability. Can you take us through your thoughts again on why it’s better for students? Harreld: Everything is relative in life. You have to look at where we’ve been for the last several years, and we’ve been on-again, off-again. We set a tuition target in September, and it turns out we get de-appropriated somewhere in the winter term by the state, and then we do another tuition increase in the springtime. I think that’s on-again, off-again, and I think that’s really, really disruptive. So, that’s one portion of this, and I think the regents stood up and said we’ve got to delay that first tuition setting until we understand where the state’s going to come out and then set tuition after the state. I think that makes a lot of sense, and I think that makes it a lot more potentially predictable for students. Second, they said we’ve been in an unfortunate situation where the state has been — let’s back up. Our funding for educational, general-education fund comes from two sources: the state and tuition. If you go back a decade ago, most of it came from the state. And, a portion of it, 30 percent — a third, roughly — came from tuition. That’s reversed. So now, we’re sitting at almost 70 percent coming from tuition and the rest from the state. When you start setting tuition policy and state appropriations unconnected, it gets troubling. You get into this, this start-and-stop that I was referring to. The board said, “We’re going to view this holistically. We’re going to put those numbers together, and we’re going to view what the universities are
DI: Since the model is focused on undergraduates, do you think that there’s anything that the university or regents could do to make tuition increases more predictable for graduates and nonresident students?
Gage Miskimen/The Daily Iowan In his office on Dec. 7, UI President Bruce Harreld discusses tuition, the regents’ tuition-announcement schedule, and the relative lack of state funding. trying to get done, where the sources of funding are going to come from. We’ll wait for the state to make its decision, and we’ll adjust tuition accordingly.” I think once again that that allows for more predictability and stability in planning. The final thing they said is they put
a lower bound and an upper bound. The lower bound was 3 percent, and the upper bound was 3 percent plus the higher-education inflation rate, which has been roughly 2, 2.2 percent, depending upon the year. So you’ve got a 3 to 5 point upper boundary, and I think that gives some predictability. So
A helping heart Gabe Graber will celebrate his birthday Jan. 1 as the Kid Captain for the Hawkeyes’ Outback bowl game in Tampa.
Harreld: Once again, we have a whole series of other cells. We have undergraduate, in-state residents. And then we have out-of-state undergraduates, and then we have professional and graduate schools. And each professional and graduate school has in state and out of state. So, there are probably roughly 25 of these cells across every one of our colleges. And each one of those needs to be thought through the context of the national peer group that they compete with. So, dentistry has a set of peers. Law SEE HARRELD, 2
New recycling containers cycle into town The city rolls out new, 65-gallon recycling containers in order to promote a greener lifestyle. BY AADIT TAMBE
aadit-tambe@uiowa.edu
Gustafson shows clutch gene in fourth-quarter runs
Bowl as the clock expired, Gabe’s mother, Emily Graber, remembered. “We always remember that because we were in the NICU, and we were watching the game,” she said. “Things were pretty calm for Gabe at the time, so it was a nice, exciting Hawkeye football
In an attempt to encourage residents to recycle, the city of Iowa City has begun distributing new recycling containers to residents to replace the old ones. The new 65-gallon containers will have blue lids and will be distributed to all curbside residents over the next two weeks. “There has been a demand for larger bins, something that’s larger in size but also more convenient to carry back and forth between the house,” city recycling coordinator Jane Wilch said. Several other communities are moving toward this type of bins, she said. They are more convenient for curbside recycling, because they are larger and easier to move to the curb and be picked up by the trucks. “After this two-week period, there will be 16,000 curbside customers who have been transitioned to these recycling carts, with a few exceptions,” Wilch said. The 18-gallon recycling bins currently in use can be turned in to the city in a few collection events that the city aims to host. Turning the containers in, however, is optional. “If they want to keep those and want to use them for oth-
SEE KID CAPTAIN, 2
SEE RECYCLING, 2
Iowa women’s basketball star Megan Gustafson continues to turn up the heat in the final minutes of games. Her ability to close out games with consistent scoring and ravenous rebounding has helped the Hawkeyes to a 7-2 record so far.
Tune in for LIVE updates Watch for campus and city news, weather, and Hawkeye sports coverage every day at 8:30 a.m. at dailyiowan.com.
Katina Zentz/The Daily Iowan Kid Captain Gabe Graber takes a photo with his family and Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz during Iowa Football Kids Day at Kinnick on Aug. 11.
BY SARAH WATSON
sarah-e-watson@uiowa.edu Gabe Graber, 14, became a lifelong Hawkeye fan when he took his first breath in the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. It was Jan. 1, 2005, the same day the Hawkeyes stunned the LSU Tigers to win the Capital One
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THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
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SUBSCRIPTIONS
Wyatt Dlouhy/The Daily Iowan UI students pet a therapy dog during the Finals Week Therapy Dog Session at the Graduate Hotel on Tuesday. Katie Stadler (right) attended the event at the IMU the day before, which led her to seek all available dog-petting options to ease her finals-week woes. “I’ve always loved dogs. It helps give a boost of happiness before that final push,” she said.
KID CAPTAIN CONTINUED FROM FRONT moment that coincided with his birthday.” Now, he’ll be Kid Captain for the Hawkeyes’ Outback bowl game Jan. 1 against Mississippi State. Around four months before Gabe was born in Iowa City, his mom found out her unborn child would need three heart surgeries before he turned 5. Gabe has a congenital heart defect called hypoplastic right heart syndrome, meaning his right ventricle never fully developed. Emily and husband Darin began making weekly threehour round trips between their home in Prairie City and the UI for appointments. But the family breathed a sigh of relief when Gabe was born on Jan. 1, 2005. Usually, to correct Gabe’s heart defect, the first heart surgery is completed right after birth, but Gabe’s stability meant he didn’t need it. “At that time, that surgery was about a 50/50 chance,” Emily said. “Not needing that and
HARRELD CONTINUED FROM FRONT school has a set of peers. And each one of those, I would say, has a strategic plan they need to think about how to fund it. And in there each constituency needs to get close to its own college and understand what its tuition plans are. And they will set their own policies that way. The only thing that regents have been focused on has been the undergraduates. So yes, there is more planning there. I think it will tend to guide most of the rest of us, but there are national markets for college of medicine, law, and all the rest, and we’ll stay competitive. DI: Iowa politicians have been excited about the strength of the state economy — the bud-
PARKING CONTINUED FROM FRONT there for financial reasons, they will need to find an alternative, such as the night and weekend permit. “By having the gates raised at midnight, I think we’ve almost incentivized students to stay later than they need to on campus,” UI Parking & Transportation communications manager April Wells said. “It was an unintended consequence.” The primary reason for the new system was to replace the antiquated one currently in place, she said. More machine-based lots will help traffic move through during rush hour and minimize the number of lost expenses, she said. “The parking facilities four years ago weren’t capable of meeting today’s technology advances,” Wells said. “We are asking for a lot of exceptions that are not normally built into a system like this to try to accommodate the wide variety of customers we have on campus.” In response to allegations that the change will affect student employment at Parking
getting to go home … was amazing.” Short recovery periods followed two surgeries for Gabe, one at 6 months old and another at 2½. But seven days after his second surgery, as the toddler was recovering, he had a stroke that paralyzed his left side. Following weekly physicaland occupational-therapy appointments, Gabe could walk two months after his stroke, and he now has regained most of his motor skills on his left side. Physical therapy for a 2-yearold with a strong will like Gabe’s called for some creative tactics, Emily said. “He was a big fan of Skittles at the time,” she said. “We’d say, ‘OK, you take 10 steps, then you can have a Skittle.’ ” He grew into a voracious reader and a kind, strong kid, those who know him say. For the past two years, he’s managed the middle-school boys’ basketball team and enjoys challenging anyone to a game of PIG. However, as a result of his stroke, Gabe began having seizures. In March 2017, Gabe underwent a hemispherotomy, a sur-
gery that disconnected the right half of his brain. Gabe returned home just nine days later without complications. Now, he’s 18 months seizure-free. Before the last surgery, Emily said students and staff at Prairie City Monroe schools made a banner that read “Gabe’s our hero,” which was also the hashtag used to spread Gabe’s story on social media. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support,” Emily said. She nominated him twice to be Kid Captain without luck and didn’t think to nominate Gabe another year. But his sixthgrade teacher, Rhonda Buys, encouraged Emily to give it one more go. “So, we did, and lo and behold, he got it,” Buys said. She’d had Gabe as a student two years prior, and as she watched the 2017 class of Kid Captains walk on the field at Kinnick Stadium, she thought of Gabe, who at the time was having seizures and facing a major brain surgery. The Grabers also developed a close relationship with Gabe’s cardiologist of the last 13 years, Ian Law, who described Gabe as incredibly observant, noting one
occasion when Law brought in a medical student to Gabe’s appointment. “We had a medical student probably about 6-6, tall guy, lanky,” Law said. “I’m asking Gabe all the questions — how’s he doing, how’s school going — and then at one point he says, ‘Hey, what’s up with Abe Lincoln in the background there?’ “He probably said this when he was 9 years old. So, he’s processing more than you realize, and very talkative, just gregarious when you have a conversation with him.” Law said he thinks Gabe’s can-do attitude originated with his parents, who investigated and followed through with any opportunity or treatment that could improve Gabe’s health. In 2006, approximately a year and a half after Gabe was born, Emily cofounded Help-a-Heart, a nonprofit that benefits children with congenital heart defects and their families. “Some people have heart disease, and that becomes who they are, and they don’t participate in life because they feel they can’t,” Law said. “That’s not Gabe. If there’s something he’s going to do, he’s going to do it.”
get surplus that we have, unemployment being down, and projections of revenue growth. Do you share that optimism about the state economy and what it could mean for additional state support next year?
that were found, and the budget was $100 million or so over, and I thought, “Oh, great. Clearly, they’ll give back the money they de-appropriated.” That didn’t happen, and so I think in that context, the core of your question isn’t so much about what’s happened in the economy, it’s actually if the economy is like that, will they actually give that money to institutions such as the University of Iowa, and Iowa State, and UNI, will they appropriate more money, I think is the core of your question. I was in a meeting the other day with all of our budget committee, 30 or 35 people, and we were asked the question of given the state seeming to be on such a positive note in terms of its own economy, who in the room thinks that they might increase their appropriation. Not a single hand went up. I’m one of
those who didn’t raise my hand, either. I think we’ve got a point of view that the institutions of higher education are an expense to be cut, they’re not an asset to be invested in. I’ve been pretty vocal over three years saying I think that’s wrong-headed. I think we can do better for the economy, I think we’re a major driver of the economy, and as we cut it, it has a negative impact. And higher education, I think, is in fact the future not only of the state of Iowa but of the United States. Slowly over the last 25 years, we’ve been disinvesting from higher education. I, unfortunately, think that we need to prepare for the fact that that is still the case.
RECYCLING CONTINUED FROM FRONT
used for decades were being lifted by hand, she said. “This also modernizes the system that the truck will be able to pick them up instead of having to lift them up by hand,” she said. This is meant for single-family homes up to four-plex apartments, Jordan said. “The other residents in Iowa City, those living in apartments … they should have recycling where they live, and if they don’t, they should contact their landlords,” she said. Everyone in Iowa City should have recycling by this point, Jordan said. Not only is this a way to provide a way to promote recycling, it is also a safer way to collect recycling throughout the city. “A lot of residents forget that there these are guys out here who collect recycling and that the current way we collect it, they have to bend down, and grab the small bins, pick them up, lift them up, dump them, and put them back,” said Patricia Fossum, the city assistant superintendent for refuse. “This new technology cuts down on the wear and tear on their bodies.”
Harreld: Well, I’m an optimist. I hope that’s the case; I’m also watching what’s happening to tariffs, I’m watching to inventories to agriculture projects pile up across the Midwest, so I think that there are two sides to that story. I’ll put it this way: I’m not a really good predictor of the national GDP or state or regional GDP. I don’t live in that world, I don’t manage that process. I do read about it. I was surprised to see that after the de-appropriation several months ago — a pretty significant one, it was pretty painful — that late in the summer, there were new resources & Transportation, Wells said there probably will be a decrease in employment but because of attrition through graduation. Nobody will be laid off, she said. “It actually makes sense for us to switch to a machine option instead,” Wells said. “And then we can better use our student staff where we have high demand, especially in the daytime hours.” Ultimately, she said, the decision will fill a recurring loophole in Parking & Transportation internal audits, which show that tickets are being taken but never paid for. However, she said, the motivation behind the decision was less about revenue and more about making the Parking & Transportation system smart. Officials will not determine the financial numbers until all the details are agreed upon between students and staff. “The plan to lower gates 24/7 is the last element in our parking-equipment upgrade,” Parking & Transportation Associate Director Erin Shane said. “UISG has also approached us with questions, and we will meet with it soon to go over the changes.”
er purposes,” Wilch said. There will be drop-off events in January and February, in which residents will be encouraged to bring in their old recycling containers. “With certain residents, [they] want to continue using the 18-gallon containers due to space constraints; we do have a few residents like that,” she said. When the old bins wear out, they will be replaced by the newer model, she said. The city will fund a part of the initiative, Wilch said. The Recycling Partnership will provide funding as well. The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit that promotes recycling in various cities, she said. “The intent to roll out new container was an increase in demand of recycling in Iowa City,” said Jennifer Jordan, the city resource-management superintendent. “Most of what goes into the landfills is actually recyclable. So, we really wanted to get people more space to recycle materials.” The 18-gallon bins that were
Go to dailyiowan.com to see the full Q&A.
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THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
NEWS 3
UIHC practices bio-emergency response
UIHC puts its abilities to the test on Tuesday in an emergency-response exercise for bio-infectious disease at the airport and emergency room. BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER katie-mccarver@uiowa.edu
At a preliminary drill on Tuesday, the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics tested its ability to respond to a “suspected emerging bio-infection,” receiving a patient at the Iowa City Municipal Airport and transporting her to the UIHC emergency room to identify the disease and begin treatment. In an effort to make the simulation seem as real as possible, UI Health Care communications specialist Molly Rossiter
ley said this was the first drill at the airport, and the hospital’s priority was to simulate loading and unloading the patient from the aircraft, transferring her to the emergency room, and decontaminating the ambulance afterwards. “This is a practice to work out the logistics of dealing with an aircraft,” Hartley said. “We hope we never have to open up our biocontainment unit; we just want to make sure we’re ready.” The exercise was requested by UIHC federal partners in Kansas City to see what it
‘The safety of our patients, staff, and community are our highest priority.’ — Molly Rossiter, UIHC communications specialist
released a mockup media statement outlining the details of the patient’s arrival and condition. “The safety of our patients, staff, and community are our highest priority,” Rossiter said. “We are working with the Iowa Department of Public Health and Johnson County Health to ensure the health and safety of everyone.” She reminded readers that the disease in this exercise was unknown; if a similar, real emergency were to occur, measures would be immediately taken to prevent the spread of disease. UIHC emergency-management coordinator Mike Hart-
would be like to transport a patient from a small, municipal airport such as Iowa City’s to the ER. “We learned some things about how to make that a little smoother,” Hartley said. “We now know the scissor lift is high enough to unload the patient, but we’d like to see a wider platform. I think the bottom line is the interaction between the ambulance crew and our staff is important.” As a Tier 2 institution, the UIHC special isolation unit is reserved as backup to its Region 7 counterpart University of Nebraska, a Tier 1 institution and veteran in treating such
Lily Smith/The Daily Iowan UI Hospitals & Clinics holds an emergency-response exercise at the Ambulance Bay on Tuesday. The goal was to prepare for use of the biocontainment unit. hazardous diseases as Ebola. “I think one of the most important things about this is that these are very rare events,” Hartley said. “The whole key to biocontainment care is that we’re able to do it, but we’re able to do it so there’s absolutely no risk to everyone else in the hospital.” For Tuesday’s drill, the hypothetical patient was a UI student returning from a
South Asian mission, having contracted an unknown virus. She was contained in a special capsule to keep the community safe, and the ambulance was thoroughly disinfected after her arrival at the ER. Although Hartley said the likelihood of an emergency of this nature is slim, he emphasized the need for training and working with experts nationwide to make sure UIHC
is equipped with suitable research, protocol, and personnel. “You have to practice and continue to practice, do it over and over again,” Medic EMS fleet communications manager Jeremy Pessman said. “You need to basically be able to do it in your sleep.” Go to dailyiowan.com to see the slideshow.
New IC park gets the jump on fun Planet 3 Extreme Air Park offers a plethora of exciting indoor activities for groups of all ages and sizes. BY JOSIE FISCHELS
josie-fischels@uiowa.edu Zip lines, dodge ball, and 15,000 square feet of trampoline space are just some of the fun items that await those looking for the ideal group experience in Iowa City. Planet 3 Extreme Air Park, an indoor trampoline park replacing Kmart on 851 Highway 6 E., offers everything from basketball dunk zones to obstacle courses mimicking television’s American Ninja Warrior, said park employee Samantha Miller. “A lot of people have requested to have a trampoline park in Iowa City,” Miller said. “We are the eighth Planet 3 so far; it is expanding all over the U.S.” The park officially opened on Dec. 8 with an “overwhelmingly positive reception” from the public, said Anne Berkenpas, the park’s general manager. During the grand opening, she said, Planet 3 gave out free passes to firefighters, police officers, and other people involved in public service. The park is open to all ages at 10 a.m. every day, and
it closes at 10 p.m. on weekdays, midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and 8 p.m. on Sundays. For kids under 6, jumping costs $10 an hour, while people 7 and up can purchase their “Flight Ticket” for $13. In addition to its many special features, Planet 3 also offers private group and party experiences. Miller said the park includes three private party rooms equipped with the users’ choice of pizza, decorations, drinks, and an hour on the trampolines. For jumpers under age 6, a mini version of the park is available in which parents can supervise their children. Miller said many people had expressed the desire for a trampoline park, in part because of the lack of activities for young people present in certain areas of Iowa City. “Many people like to go the bars, and many people who live here are not 21, so this is just a fun activity place where you can come, and jump, and have fun for a night,” Miller said. Berkenpas said the owners of Planet 3 have made a point of placing their tram-
poline parks in less-populated or disadvantaged areas of larger cities where community members may not have many opportunities nearby to have safe fun. Georgia McDaniel, one of the many newly hired park employees, said each staff member works diligently to keep the trampolines clean and safe while also maintaining high energy and interacting with jumpers throughout the day. She said around 10 employees supervise the park at different stations for each shift. “We’re like lifeguards but for trampolines,” she said. “We play music, and all of us like to dance a lot. We play the Cha Cha Slide or the Cupid Shuffle like four times a day, [because] they’re our favorite songs. We have a really good team.” In the future, Berkenpas said, the park hopes to potentially team with the University of Iowa to put on an event similar to Dance Marathon’s annual Big Event at Planet 3. She said this “Jump Marathon” would be targeted toward teenagers and their families battling cancer.
Katina Zentz/The Daily Iowan Planet 3 Extreme Air Park is seen on Tuesday. The Extreme Air Park is the first trampoline park in Iowa City; it recently replaced Kmart.
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Opinions THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
COLUMN
550 words of gratitude for the UI From Iowa Captive to ‘Iowa Citian’ in under four years, Opinions Editor Lucee Laursen reflects on her time at the UI.
LUCEE LAURSEN lucee-laursen@uiowa.edu The impractical number of one-way streets and Cactus Cantinas are just two of the many qualities that I will remember when I think about my time in Iowa City. As hundreds of students prepare to graduate
this weekend, I am confident that each of us will uniquely remember our stint at the University of Iowa. A person’s years at college are extremely valuable. Students should receive 120 semester hours worth of trial-and-errorbased simulations that will improve their likelihood of success in the dubbed “real world.” The UI excels at providing this for its students. Throughout my three and a half years here, I have received numerous opportunities. Yes, this was in part because of my own hard work, but I absolutely would not have gotten to complete
undergraduate research, work at the College of Law, or intern in Washington without the assistance of my professors, mentors, and advisers. A campus full of diligent people is what I have found to be most impactful. The UI is a microcosm for what an ideal society should look like. People who work hard are rewarded with opportunities to grow, fail, and try again. The UI campus is riddled with these, from student organizations to the very paper I find myself writing in currently; the UI goes above and beyond expectations to ensure that every student who wants to succeed, does.
None of this is to say that everything at the UI is perfect. To the state Board of Regents’ and President Bruce Harreld’s dismay, it seems that our campus has a constant stream of problems and issues that demand immediate attention. And though I know this is not uncommon on college campuses, the UI allows its students to participate in solving issues that face them. As many UI students know, Fraternity and Sorority Life is going through a time of redefining what our community will look like on this campus. Every step of the way, the members
have been notified about what is going on and which students from our community are involved in the various committees working to improve Fraternity/ Sorority Life at the university. This is not an abnormal practice here; rather, it is an expectation. I have watched my peers become leaders in every facet of life on campus, and I have never been more appreciative. The UI has allowed me to pivot from one career ambition to another with ease. I have enhanced my understanding of who I am and where I fit into this world, and it is all thanks to the thousands of people I have
met during my time here. When asked why I applied to the UI, I seldom tell people the true story: My mom wanted my car insurance to go down. All I had to do was to get an acceptance letter from a university. I saw that the UI had a 48-hour admissions decision, so I applied; two days later I was a Hawkeye! Boy, am I glad that my deal-seeking mother forced me to apply to the UI. Three and a half years, hundreds of friends made, 14 organizations joined, and one degree later, I am proud to call Iowa City my college home.
COLUMN
Heckishness reigns and a man of the soil ’Tis the holiday season, or seasoning, which is why, probably, there’s an election that keeps on giving.
BEAU ELLIOT beauelliot@gmail.com Doc (?) Grammar: To heck with politics (in keeping with President H.W. Bush civility), what about the Heisman vote? Dear Question Mark: Nice punctuation. Nice nod toward a return to civility in American life. (Though we do
wonder exactly how civil it was to oppose the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s. Or use the “Willie Horton ad” in 1988. Or the “Change your behavior” reaction to the AIDs epidemic in the 1980s. Or the Iran/Contra pardons.) But you’re right; to heck with politics. Except that politics has its fingers all over the Heisman vote — 86 didn’t have Tua on their ballots at all, and 73 omitted Murray. Or vice versa. That’s either crazy, or some voters played a bit of politics. It’s getting to sound a whole lot like Academy Award voting. If that’s what that is. Frankly, we think Ted Williams should be the Heisman winner every year. At least un-
til some Heisman hopeful can prove he can take a bat and hit a fastball into the Red Seat in Fenway. That’s much more difficult than some gunslinger shredding Big 12 “defenses.” Grammar Schlock: What’s the deal with North Carolina? Why can’t they stick to basketball, which they’re very good at? You know, shut up and dribble. Dear Schlock & Awe: Maybe you should talk to LeBron about that. But we’ll give it a shot. (That’s something you do after you dribble for a while.) According to reports: The Republican in the 9th District won the election by 905
votes. But. There seems to be a little problem with the mail-in votes in Bladen County (“This American Life” called its segment on this “Bladen Runner,” if you’re interested.) Seems the GOP candidate hired a company, which hired a Soil Conservation Board dude to dude something or other. One of which, it’s alleged, was to hire people to collect the mail-in ballots that had not yet been mailed in. That might be illegal under Carolina law. And a curious thing occurred: Registered Republicans picked up 19 percent of the mail ballots, and the Republican candidate won 61 percent of the mail-in votes in the county. The ballots, apparently, were
either not filled in or were left unsealed. Hmm. You say. We, too. Not to be too suspicious or anything. Except, according to reports, that Soil Board dude had allegedly done something similar in the 2016 election and in the 2018 GOP primary (the current Republican candidate upset the Republican incumbent in that primary). Apparently, the Soil Board dude knows something about soil ballots. So what can we surmise, if we were in the business of surmising. Well, Republicans were right — there was voting fraud going on. They had firsthand experience. Engaging in it. Doc Grammar:
It’s the holiday season, and often, it seems to be an inspiring time. But you are never very inspirational. Other writers inspire us to be our better selves. What say you? Dear Inspired: You’re right. But our inspirational sayings run to the famous bumper sticker “Visualize Whirled Peas.” So we might not be the right people to ask for inspiration. Just a notion. In a nation of notions. But we’ll give it a whirled: When life gives you yams, clam storms lurk on the horizon. A journey of a thousand miles starts with one restroom stop. Infinity is only in your mind. If you don’t mind, …
COLUMN
Porter unfit to represent Johnson County Based on the topics covered in the Dec. 5 Board of Supervisors’ forum, Royceann Porter proved herself to be an unqualified candidate.
MARINA JAIMES
marina-jaimes@uiowa.edu “Oh no, I’m not going to make a pledge like that. Absolutely not,” declared Royceann Porter as she proudly answered the question “Do you pledge to vote against any raise in salary for supervisors for the rest of your term?”
Her answer clearly states her entitlement to tax dollars, but the entirety of her responses to questions at last week’s League of Women Voters County Supervisor Forum proves she is undeserving of them. Porter, a Teamsters union organizer, is the Democrat running for the open seat on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. The special election is being held after the unfortunate passing of board member Kurt Friese. Porter claimed the motivation to run for this seat was her 30 years of experience in the community as a leader, volunteer, and activist. Her ex-
perience in these unelected positions could not help her lackluster performance when faced with questions about Johnson County, though. As the moderator asked a multitude of questions ranging from fiscal responsibility to social justice, Porter claimed she was unable to fully understand the questions or answered that the Board of Supervisors is currently doing a great job and if elected, she would maintain the status quo. After being asked why she is moderately fiscally responsible, Porter responded with, “You keep going back to these fiscal things that I’m needing to learn
STAFF GAGE MISKIMEN Editor-in-Chief LUCEE LAURSEN Opinions Editor Marina Jaimes, Elijah Helton, Michelle Kumar, Nichole Shaw, Taylor Newby, Zach Weigel, Braxton Leonard, Anna Banerjee, Collen Mahoney, Zohar Nadler Columnists EDITORIALS reflect the majority opinion of the DI Editorial Board and not the opinion of the Publisher, Student Publications Inc., or the University of Iowa. OPINIONS, COMMENTARIES, COLUMNS, and EDITORIAL CARTOONS reflect the opinions of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board, The Daily Iowan, or other organizations in which the author may be involved.
and talk about, so I would just consider myself moderate” — an answer almost as inappropriate as advocating for a raise based on taxpayer dollars. While she was occupied in giggling at her opponent’s answers, she could have spent a minute or two learning from his positions and how he handled himself in his preparation to become an elected official. Phil Hemingway, the Republican running for the open seat, came fully prepared to answer questions at the forum and also used his experience as a School Board member to add to his expertise. In opposition to a raise for the county super-
visors, Hemingway said he does his work for free on the School Board and believes that county supervisors are “more than amply compensated for their services.” Compared to Porter, he would vote against the suggestion if it came before him. His blue-collar background and work in agriculture earned him a seat on the School Board. As a business owner, he has championed his experience with budgets and fiscal responsibility and has promised to bring both talents to the table if elected. Just a few days ago, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., announced his support for Porter. If only
national attention had focused on the Dec. 5 forum, the rest of America would have seen the dangers in tribalism and voting strictly along party lines. Booker said if Porter were elected, she would be the first black person in Johnson County to win a county-wide office. In the upcoming special election, we should focus on who will get the job done instead of an arbitrary check mark for Democrats to prove how diverse they are. It is extremely hard to believe that Porter, who will add no intellectual diversity to the board, is the better candidate for the position, given her performance last week.
EDITORIAL POLICY THE DAILY IOWAN is a multifaceted news-media organization that provides fair and accurate coverage of events and issues pertaining to the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Johnson County, and the state of Iowa. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR may be sent via email to daily. iowan.letters@gmail.com (as text, not attachments). Each letter must be signed and include an address and phone number for verification. Letters should not exceed 300 words and may be edited for clarity, length, style, and space limitations, including headlines. The DI will only publish one letter per author per month. Letters will be chosen for publication by the editors according to space considerations. No advertisements or mass mailings, please.
GUEST OPINIONS that exceed 300 words in length must be arranged with the Opinions editor at least three days prior to the desired date of publication. Guest opinions are selected in accordance with length, subject relevance, and space considerations. Guest opinions may be edited for length, clarity, style, and space limitations READER COMMENTS that may appear were originally posted on daily-iowan.com or on the DI’s social media platforms in response to published material. They will be chosen for print publication when they are deemed to be well-written and to forward public discussion. They may be edited for length and style.
5
THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
Women, politics, and change As a record-breaking number of Iowa women step into office, analysts say more collaboration in government and legislation on traditionally women’s issues may be on the horizon. BY EMILY WANGEN | emily-wangen@uiowa.edu
Left: Iowa 3rd Congressional District Rep.-elect Cindy Axne speaks to supporters during the statewide Democratic candidates’ watch party in Des Moines on Nov. 6. (Lily Smith/The Daily Iowan) Center: Iowa 1st District Rep.-elect Abby Finkenauer, a Democrat, is greeted by supporters during a watch party in Dubuque on Nov. 6. (Nick Rohlman/The Daily Iowan) Right: Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, addresses Gov. Kim Reynold’s supporters during Reynolds’ watch party in Des Moines on Nov. 6. (Katie Goodale/The Daily Iowan) As more Iowa women than ever move toward legislating and governing in the coming weeks, analysts say the “pink wave” that swept the state and nation in November may mean a shift in focus toward women- and family-focused issues, as well as a more collaborative environment. The additional women in politics may introduce more legislation on topics such as education, civil rights, and health, according to the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University and the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University — organizations that study women and promote their running for political office. “We know that women do bring a different set of experiences, a different life experience. They see the world through their lens, as does everybody,” said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Rutgers center. “Those experiences not only shape who they are as an individual, but it then shapes what their priorities are.” After analyzing 151,824 bills introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives between 1973 and 2014 in a study published by Political Science and Research Methods, researchers found women across political parties were significantly more likely to sponsor bills on what are traditionally viewed as “women’s issues,”
such as family and law, civil rights, health, and education. In a study published by the Rutgers center, researchers interviewed 84 of the 108 congresswomen in the 114th Congress (2015-16) and found an overwhelming majority of lawmakers described drawing on experience as mothers or grandmothers to legislate. But the prominence of typical “women’s issues” that female lawmakers reportedly focus on does not necessarily mean all women will have the same stances. The Rutgers center’s study also found partisanship shaped how women influenced policy, especially on reproductive-rights issues. This difference of opinions is on display through a number of issues, one being Planned Parenthood funding. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who became the first woman Iowa voters elected to Congress in 2014, supported plans to allow states to divert Title X funds from Planned Parenthood. Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Reps.-elect Cindy Axne and Abby Finkenauer, on the other hand, have voiced their support to continue funding Planned Parenthood and a woman’s right to choose. In November, the pair were the first two women from Iowa elected to the House of Representatives. In the spring, Finkenauer, a state representative from Dubuque, spoke on the
‘We know that women do bring a different set of experiences, a different life experience. They see the world through their lens, as does everybody.’ — Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University
Statehouse floor against legislation that would ban most abortions after fetal heartbeats were detected. That law, which was supposed to
Tinsman, a co-chair of 50-50 in 2020, a nonpartisan group that works to get more women into politics. “It more depends on how they’re raised,
126 48 48
women will serve in the 116th Congress
women will serve in the Iowa Legislature
percent of Iowa female candidates won their races Source: Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women in Politics at Iowa State University
go into effect this summer, has been on hold as a lawsuit opposing it makes its way through the courts. “Women are not monolithic on any policy,” said Maggie
what influenced them growing up, just like the men.” In referencing abortion policy, Tinsman said women have differing views even in a single party. Though all
‘Women are not monolithic on any policy, it more depends on how they’re raised, what influenced them growing up, just like the men.’ — Maggie Tinsman, co-chair of 50-50 in 2020
Republicans made up the yes votes on the fetal-heartbeat bill, six Republican lawmakers in the Iowa House voted no on the abortion bill, including at least one woman. “Women tend to be pragmatists,” Tinsman said. “In fact, I think some of the women realize you don’t talk about social issues. You talk economic, education and health-care issues, because those are the ones you can maybe do something about.” Catt Center interim Director Kelley Winfrey said along with different issues being a priority, research has shown that women are more likely to be collaborative when governing. “In a general sense, having more women both in the state Legislature and the U.S. Congress could facilitate more bipartisanship and more constructive dialogue across parties to solve problems,” she said. Tinsman said during her 18 years as a Republican legislator in Iowa, she found the more women were involved, the more civil the problem-solving process became. “If I were of one opinion and the Democrat I was working with was of another opinion … we wouldn’t say, ‘Oh, I’m not talking to that person,’ ” Tinsman said. “[Women] know how to bring people together to solve a problem, and that’s [what] politics is — it’s problem-solving.”
A record number of Iowa women will hold political office this year. When the 88th Iowa Legislature convenes in January, 48 women will serve between both chambers, beating the current record of 35 women set in 2009. Gov. Kim Reynolds will open the 2019 session, giving her Condition of the State address as Iowa’s first elected female governor. At the federal level, a record-breaking 126 women will serve in the 116th Congress, including Axne and Finkenauer. With three of six members of Iowa’s congressional delegation being women, Iowa’s representation in Congress has reached gender parity. Earlier in December, Ernst was elected vice chair of the Republican Senate Committee, making her the first woman in a Senate Republican leadership position since 2010. Despite the record-breaking numbers, many agree there is room for growth when it comes to representation of women in politics. “We need to see more women stepping up into those roles running for office,” Ernst said during a Dec. 7 conference call with reporters. “It can be very challenging, very difficult, but it is obviously a responsibility that I take very seriously, I’m sure other women take very seriously. We would love to see them step up.”
The Daily Iowan Ethics and Politics Initiative is funded by a private donor and will appear biweekly this semester. The team’s mission is to understand, interpret, analyze, and report on topics, trends and personalities that shape politics in Iowa and the United States, and to recognize the importance of a strong ethical foundation in its pursuits. Email daily-iowan@uiowa.edu with story ideas, press releases, or reader comments.
6 SPORTS
THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
Swimming & diving trains for peak meets The Hawkeye swimming & diving teams will spend break preparing for top meets in the spring. BY TANNER DESPLANQUE
tanner-desplanque@uiowa.edu The first half of Iowa’s swimming & diving season came to an end after the women’s victory over Iowa State on Dec. 7. The Hawkeyes now enter training mode as they head into the winter break. The diving teams will compete in the USA Diving World University Trials in Atlanta from Dec. 16-21. The swimming teams will head to Florida for training. “Right after finals week, we fly out on Saturday morning and go down to Florida, and we run a training camp,” head coach Marc Long said. “We have some traditional workouts we do. It’s just a great time to get them away after all the academic stress. These are high achievers in the classroom. We get them away and really get to work with them in a little bit different environment. We have some of our Long best training of the year down there.” The training switches the environment for the athletes and helps them work toward specific goals. “I think team bonding is always a big goal as well as just coming together as a team,” junior Hannah Burvill said. “The training helps us do something to switch out the environment a little bit. We all know that training in the sun is so much more positive than training in a pool every single day.” The swimmers who capi-
Tate Hildyard/The Daily Iowan A pair of Hawkeyes converse while they rest during the meet against Iowa State on Dec. 7. talize on the motivation of the training trip are likely to be more confident at the meets after the trip. But along with the tough grind of training, there is still fun involved. “That week [in Florida] is just super intense training,” sophomore Sarah Schemmel said. “The training is all challenges that
are set every day. We do 100 100s sometimes or 50 100s with a partner like a race. It’s really fun. There is a lot of team building stuff, too, because we split up into groups and do like a sandcastle building contest.” Iowa’s training is at the beginning of winter break, and the swimmers
need to focus on staying in shape all break long. Winter break is about a month long for most University of Iowa students, but not for the swimming and diving teams. “We come back together as a team [Dec. 31] I believe,” Burvill said. “So it is important to stay in shape throughout December and
throughout winter break, just so we don’t lose anything we gained in Florida. Then back to it fully in January to be ready for the Shamrock Invitational and a couple more meets before we go to Big Tens in February.” The swimming and diving teams return to action before the Shamrock Invi-
tational on Jan. 25-26. The women will compete in Champaign, Illinois, on Jan. 11 against Illinois, and the men will host Notre Dame on Jan. 12 at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center. The men and women will swim against Northwestern and Wisconsin on Jan. 19 at the Campus Rec.
THE DAILY IOWAN | DAILYIOWAN.COM | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
WOMEN’S CONTINUED FROM 8 points while shooting a sizzling 83.7 percent from the floor. Her fourth-quarter heroics this season have helped Gustafson achieve two highly touted milestones over the past week. On Dec. 5, Gustafson became Iowa’s all-time leading rebounder, surpassing Cindy Haugejorde’s previous mark of 1,067. It’s only a matter of time before Gustafson gets the points reGustafson cord as well, but that may not mean as much to her as the rebounding record. “Rebounding has always been a big part of what I do, and that is a record that means a lot to me,’’ she said. “There are a lot of those things as a senior that are going to be part of my season, but mostly my focus is on the team and winning games. That is really the only thing that matters to me.’’ Haugejorde’s record was not easily shattered. That mark had stood for nearly 38 years; with two-thirds of
RBS CONTINUED FROM 8 over 100 yards is concerning. All in all, the Hawkeye ground game averaged 162 yards per game, the second-lowest average since 2013. T h e Sargent Hawkeyes did average 4.2 yards per carry, though.
a season left to play, Gustafson’s record isn’t going anywhere soon. “She’s going to demolish this [record],” Iowa head coach Lisa Bluder said. “We’re only into Game [9], and this is a record that stood for 40 years in a program like ours. This is a record that’s going to last for a long time.” Now that Gustafson has climbed Iowa’s rebounding mountain, the next major record Gustafson will try to break is the all-time scoring leader. She reached the 2,000-point milestone on Dec. 8, joining Haugejorde as the only two players — man or women, to have 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Sitting at 2,022 points, Gustafson needs only 81 more to break Ally Disterhoft’s record of 2,102 points, a record she set a little under two years ago. Given that Gustafson averages around 24 points a game, that should mean she breaks the record in either Iowa’s Big Ten opener on Dec. 30 against Michigan State or its conference home-opener on Jan. 3 against Nebraska. Iowa’s next game will be Dec. 16 in Carver-Hawkeye, when the Hawkeyes take on Northern Iowa for their second out of three in-state rivalry games. Both the yards per game and yards per carry numbers were up from 2017 — a step in the right direction. But compared with years past, when Iowa’s running game has been truly dominant (such as 2008, 2002, 2001, all seasons in which Iowa had run for at least 175 yards per game and averaged nearly 5 yards per carry), this season was “meh” for the most part. Young has had his moments in the spotlight, providing a changeup from Sargent. They are different
MEN’S CONTINUED FROM 8 last season. Cook finished last season averaging 15.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Those numbers have risen to 16.6, 8.4, and 2.6 this season. The Hawkeyes use him the most (25.3 use percentage) of any starter. However, his use rate is actually down more than 1 percentage point from last season, which, while it doesn’t seem like much of a difference, is worth of
LBS CONTINUED FROM 8 at outside linebacker for his first starts at linebacker in his career. Despite all of the shifting that happened throughout the season — something that very rarely happened Hockaday the previous three seasons — the Hawkeye debacks, Sargent doing a bit of everything and Young a bulldozer of a tailback. In the season finale against Nebraska, Sargent and Young combined for 256 yards and 2 touchdowns, the best team effort on the ground by Iowa this season. “Both our backs ran really well,” Ferentz said after the game. “I thought Toren ran really hard. He always does. A lot of energy. It’s been fun and enjoyable to watch Mekhi continue to grow. You look at him, he doesn’t look
note — Cook’s stats have increased in every major category. Cook’s shooting percentage is also up this season. He’s hitting 56.8 percent of his shots, the best shooting percentage of any Hawkeye who has played in every game this season.
fense 313th in the NCAA. This season, that number is down 7 percentage points — opponents are hitting 3s at 30.6 percent. That’s good enough for 60th in the country, and while that’s not stellar defense, it’s a major improvement over last season.
3-point defense on the rise
Same 5 starters for every game
Last season, if opponents wanted to attack Iowa, the 3-point shot was an effective method. Opponents hit shots from deep at a 37.6 percent clip, ranking Iowa’s 3-point de-
Last season, coach Fran McCaffery consistently played 11 players a game, and he danced with various starting lineups, starting a total of nine different players throughout the course
fense remained strong. Iowa’s backers filled holes often, becoming the seventh-ranked rushing defense in the country, giving up just 102.8 yards on the ground per game. The individual stats, however, weren’t as impressive as they had been in seasons past. In 2017, Jewell, Bower, and Niemann finished first, second, and third on the team, respectively, in tackles. Jewell led the team with 132 stops, Bower followed with 90, and Niemann racked up 77. The consistency the
former Hawkeye trio had built and the chemistry that had grown while they spent years playing by each other’s side helped the unit take over in the back seven. Safety Jake Gervase led the way in 2018 with 77 tackles, which would have tied for third on the team last season. The linebacker with the most tackles this year was Hockaday, who made 56 stops — 21 fewer than the third-best Hawkeye backer in 2017. Colbert came in next with 51, Welch followed
anything special, doesn’t look that big, this or that, but the guy is a good player. I think he is deceptively good, deceptively strong when he runs the ball.” Young came close to topping 100 yards in Iowa’s win over Indiana when he had 96 on the ground. Through 12 games, he averaged 4.7 yards per carry, second-best among the running back trio behind Sargent. He had 630 yards, which also ranked second on the team. Kelly-Martin, howev-
er, proved to be one of the bigger disappointments in Iowa’s backfield — not because of his skills but because he struggled to stay healthy. He appeared in only seven games, and in two of those, he had 5 carries or fewer. Kelly-Martin’s best outing came in Iowa’s shutout win over Maryland (he came within 2 yards of 100). But after that game, Oct. 20, he appeared in merely three games, registering 18 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.
SPORTS 7 of the year. Through nine games this season, Fran McCaffery has used the same starting five lineup: Bohannon, Wieskamp, Isaiah Moss, Cook, and Garza. He’s also trimmed down his rotation to essentially nine players, give or take injuries or surprise activations (such as Cordell Pemsl’s outing against Iowa State). Fran McCaffery’s consistency has created a confident, reliable scoring five. Cook, Garza, Wieskamp, Bohannon, and Moss lead the team in scoring in that order. with 49, and Nick Niemann had 38. A big part of that is that no linebacker started every game this season. Still, despite the shifts that occurred continutally, the unit banded together to post solid numbers as a team. A big help to the inexperienced linebacker corps came from the stellar defensive line playing in front of it. The line was deep, allowing each player to get sufficient rest while not losing strength on the field. With a group in front that did its job incredibly well, the linebackers were able to ease into things without too much pressure on them. “[The defensive line] certainly not hurting, guarantee you, and it makes it a lot easier as you know to play back there if you have some guys doing a good job,” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Coming into this season I was a little — I don’t know if concern is the right word, but curious to see how we play inside. Felt really good about our ends.”
Sports WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2018
HAWKEYE UPDATES Cassioppi earns USA Wrestling Athlete of Week Iowa freshman wrestler Tony Cassioppi was named the USA Wrestling Athlete of the Week after winning his third tournament of the season. Cassioppi won gold at 285 pounds at the UNI Open on Cassioppi Dec. 8; he pinned all three of his opponents in a combined 3:10 en route to winning the title. The three wins helped Cassioppi improve to 11-0 on the season, during which he has racked up 10 pins. Freshman Nelson Brands won the 165-pound title at the UNI Open, also his third championship of the season. He moved to 13-0 with the win.
Iowa women’s gymnastics ranked No. 29 in preseason poll The Hawkeye women’s gymnastics team received 442 points to be ranked No. 29 in the Road to Nationals Preseason Coaches’ Poll. There are six Big Ten teams ranked ahead of Iowa in the poll: Michigan (No. 9), Nebraska (No. 11), Ohio State (No. 18), Illinois (No. 22), Minnesota (No. 23), and Penn State (No. 27). The GymHawks finished the 2018 season ranked No. 33, and they will face 12 teams ranked in the top 36 this season, with six of those coming from the top 20. With 12 letter winners returning and seven freshmen joining the squad, the Hawkeyes will hit the road against No. 14 Auburn on Jan. 4.
NBA G-League Watch With Jarrod Uthoff moving to Russia, that leaves Peter Jok and Adam Woodbury as the two former Hawkeyes in the NBA G-League. Woodbury now suits up for the Grand Rapids Drive, the affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, after playing for the Westchester Knicks and Fort Wayne Mad Ants in 2017-18. Jok continues his career with the Northern Arizona Suns, the affiliate of the Phoenix Suns, where he has played since 2017.
G-League Stats Jok: 31.3 minutes, 16.0 points, 45 percent FG, 44 percent 3-point, 5.1 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.1 steals Woodbury: 8.9 minutes, 4.7 points, 67 percent FG, 4.0 rebounds
DAILYIOWAN.COM
THE MOST COMPLETE HAWKEYE SPORTS COVERAGE IN IOWA
Runners, tacklers
Up for grades Iowa’s tailbacks picked it up by the end of the season, but the Hawkeyes had an average year on the ground.
Questions surrounding the Iowa linebackers entering the season were settled early.
BY ADAM HENSLEY
BY PETE RUDEN
adam-hensley@uiowa.edu This season featured a running-back carousel — head coach Kirk Ferentz flirted with three different starting tailbacks throughout the season — but in the last two games, Mekhi Sargent secured his (rightful) place as the top running back. It took three tries, but Iowa finally found the back of its future (third time’s a charm, right?) Sargent broke through against Illinois on Nov. 17 with 121 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries and capped off his season with 173 yards and a touchdown against Nebraska. That game against Illinois marked Iowa’s first 100-yard rusher of the season, a good accom-
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plishment for Sargent, who started off the season behind Ivory Kelly-Martin and Toren Young in the backfield rotation. Sargent finished his season with 748 yards and 9 touchdowns. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry, finishing as Iowa’s best back, statistically. He also caught 16 passes (12 of which came in Iowa’s final five games), proving to be a do-itall back. However, that it took Iowa 11 games to get one running back SEE RBS, 7
peter-ruden@uiowa.edu One of the biggest questions surrounding Hawkeye football entering the season narrowed in on the linebackers. After three-year starters Josey Jewell, Ben Niemann, and Bo Bower graduated, Iowa was forced to look at three replacements without any real experience on the defensive side of the ball. The measure ended up working out — the Hawkeyes became a top-10 defense despite the youthfulness of its linebacker corps and secondary. Iowa turned to Amani Jones, Ben Niemann, and Kristian Welch to start the season, but that lineup didn’t even last a full
Gustafson racks up the records
Megan Gustafson, one of the best players in the Big Ten, has begun writing herself all over Iowa’s record books.
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quarter. Jack Hockaday replaced Jones in the first quarter, and kept his place in the starting rotation when he wasn’t injured. Not too long after, Djimon Colbert made his case to be a starter after switching from defensive back before spring practice, taking over for Welch as the weakside backer. Throw in Amani Hooker, winner of the Tatum-Woodson Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Award, who started seven games SEE LBS, 7
Sharing is caring for men’s hoops Strong bench play and all-around improvement from its starters has boosted Hawkeye hoops. BY ADAM HENSLEY
adam-hensley@uiowa.edu
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We’re only into
Game [9] and this is a record that stood for 40 years in a program like ours. This is a record that’s going to last for a long time.” — Iowa women’s basketball head coach Lisa Bluder on Megan Gustafson’s rebounding record
STAT OF THE DAY Iowa women’s basketball’s Megan Gustafson is averaging 8.8 points in the fourth quarter.
8.8
fourth-quarter points
David Harmantas/The Daily Iowan Iowa forward Megan Gustafson tries to block the shot of Iowa State guard Bridget Carleton during a women’s basketball game against Iowa State University at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Dec. 5. The Hawkeyes won, 73-70.
BY JORDAN ZUNIGA
jordan-zuniga@uiowa.edu There’s little question about who has been the best basketball player on the Iowa women’s basketball team over the past two seasons: the Hawkeyes’ 6-4 center from Port Wing, Wisconsin, Megan Gustafson. As she did last year, Gustafson leads the Hawkeyes in points per game (24.3), rebounds per game (12.3), field-goal percentage (75 percent), and blocks (17 total). With the exception of blocks, those numbers are good enough to rank her top 10 nationally. As she has done throughout her three-plus years at Iowa, Gustafson continues to cause
headaches for opposing coaches. “I don’t think you can stop [Gustafson],’’ Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly said. “I think the best you can do is try to slow her down, but she is surrounded by good skill players as well.’’ The problem has been that coaches can’t even slow her down, especially when they need to most. While Gustafson has been stellar every minute she’s been on the floor this season, she’s been most effective in the fourth quarter. In the final quarter, Gustafson averages 8.8 SEE WOMEN’S, 7
Through nine games, one thing is clear for Iowa basketball: Connor McCaffery is the team’s best distributor. The second-team point guard has a 29.8 assist percentage (percentage of teammate field goals he assisted on while on the floor) this season. The next best player in that category, Tyler Cook, clocks in at 18.2 percent — around an 11 percentage point difference. Despite averaging 21.4 minutes while coming off the bench, McCaffery is Iowa’s assist leader at 3.6 assists per game. Also, the redshirt freshman doesn’t turn the ball over on a regular basis. He has a 13.2 turnover percentage, the second-lowest (behind Luka Garza) of any player with at least 100 minutes this season. His 1 turnover per game is the lowest from any Hawkeye player averaging at least 20 minutes per game. McCaffery can score, too. His season-high 19 points came on Nov. 16, when Iowa beat UConn in the 2K Empire Classic. He has scored in double figures twice besides that, netting 11 McCaffery against Green Bay and 12 in Iowa’s most recent game, against Iowa State. Another positive to his game is his ability to get to the free-throw line. He averages 5.2 free-throw attempts per game — second to Cook and the most of any bench player. He makes 85.1 percent of those attempts, a better percentage than Jordan Bohannon or Joe Wieskamp.
Points, rebounds, assists up for Tyler Cook The season is still early, but Cook seems to have developed a well-rounded game compared with SEE MEN’S, 7